Ouachita County launches their ACT® Work Ready Community initiative

Camden, Arkansas- Ouachita Partnership for Economic Development announced today, they have engaged in the process for Ouachita County to become a certified ACT Work Ready Community. This practice demonstrates their commitment to developing a strong workforce pipeline, desirable to employers, economic developers, and current and future citizens of the county.

The ACT® Work Ready Communities (ACT® WRC) initiative empowers states, regions and counties with data, processes and tools that drive economic growth by identifying skills gaps and quantifying the skill level of their workforce. Participants leverage the ACT® WorkKeys® National Career Readiness Certificate® (ACT® WorkKeys® NCRC®) to measure and close skills gaps and build common frameworks that link, align, and match their workforce development efforts.

To begin the Work Ready Communities process, Ouachita County leaders attended the ACT Work Ready Communities Boot Camp, an executive leadership and training program designed and led by ACT to initiate, deploy, and drive carefully tailored efforts to improve the county's work readiness. Leaders meet with local employers, policymakers, educators, and economic developers to reach established goals and build a sustainable WRC model to fit community needs.

Ouachita County Judge Robert McAdoo stated that "our county has organized a cross agency team of government, educators, workforce, economic developers, and business/chamber leaders. We are committed to developing and launching a local ACT WRC program. We will have ACT WorkKeys and ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness tools accessible to individuals in our county. As County Judge, I fully support the county engaging in the ACT Work Ready Communities initiative. "

"Congratulations to Ouachita County for joining this initiative, and a growing list of counties dedicated to building a robust workforce," said ACT Regional Manager, Tony Garife. "The determination of Ouachita County's leadership to engage in this process demonstrates active partnerships between all stakeholders in the community and will provide the county with an economic development advantage, helping them stand out nationally for their workforce development efforts."

For more information on this initiative, go to www.workreadycommunities.org and view all of ACT's workforce solutions at www.act.org/workforce

Upcoming Events